China recruited about 480,000 talents from foreign countries, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan last year, according to a leading Chinese official in charge of the affairs.

While addressing a national conference on importing foreign talents held in Beijing Tuesday, Ji Yunshi, general director of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA), said 50,000 Chinese officials and professionals went overseas for diverse training programs last year.

Chinese programs to bring in top talents to tackle the global financial crisis progressed smoothly in 2009, said Ji, who failed to give an exact figure regarding how many foreign talents were imported in this regard last year.

According to Ji, 1,754 overseas talents were imported by China's agricultural sector last year to help popularize advanced technology for planting and cultivation in the country's rural areas.

Some 3,164 overseas talents served on 900 programs designed to boost the development of the country's western provinces and autonomous regions in the past year, said Ji.

An extra 3,376 overseas professionals also worked for programs to rejuvenate northeastern China which consists of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, commonly known as China's "rust belt". This region now lags behind the eastern Chinese provinces after the reform and opening-up policy was introduced in 1978.

According to Ji, China plans to invite more scientists who specialize in the fields of new energy, new material, information networking,life sciences and large aircraft building, among others, this year.

He added that efforts would also be made to advance promulgation of regulations conducive to encouraging inflow of more foreign talents to China.